A charity that supports the health and well-being of disabled adults and children through activities with horses has received £1,000 from our North Midlands region as part of its Community Champions scheme.

Scropton Riding for the Disabled delivers over 8,000 sessions per year, providing real and lasting therapy to over 350 local children and adults with physical, learning, sensory, profound and multiple disabilities. ctivities range from being with horses and helping with their care to working in partnership with a horse on the move, carrying out tasks together.

Glynis Dalley, from the charity, said: “Thank you Persimmon Homes, this funding means the world to us and we’re delighted to share the news with everyone. We are looking to convert and equip a barn to provide a safe and weatherproof area for activities and will also invest in training our horses, staff and volunteers.

“We have been fundraising ourselves, running equine car boot sales and clinics for the local equestrian community but after a 15-month Covid closure we have depleted reserves and our finances are stretched. We really want to add new ground-based activities with horses to our timetable with a focus on building relationships that can help develop responsibility, self-confidence and trust.

“After the pandemic we have noticed there’s a real need to support people’s mental health so these sessions will hopefully be enjoyable and beneficial to the local community. Learning new skills can be very therapeutic for both adults and children so this £1,000 donation will help us massively in the coming months.”

Nadine O''Dowd, sales director for the North Midlands, said: “We’re really excited to be partnering with Scropton Riding for the Disabled this month. When we heard from Glynis if was really enlightening to hear about the benefits of spending time with horses and how the centre makes a lasting difference to the lives of local adults and children. We hope this donation will elevate the charity to the next level and will enable more people in Derby to experience these incredible animals.”

To apply for Community Champions funding visit the website.